The truth about fruit sugar

    I was teaching a class and a student dismissed the benefits of fruit because, as she says , "is full of sugar. " Do not be surprised to learn that it was the first time I could hear the " fruit sugar = bad " idea .

The idea that the result is somehow a bad thing to eat came into full swing with the madness of the low carb diet a few years ago . But the myth persists. Not a week goes by that I have not heard anyone tell me they avoid fruit because it is " just sugar " or " responsible for carbohydrates . " So I'm here to clear the air and to the defense of some of the world's healthiest foods - whole fruit.
The fruit sugar - What are the facts?

I turn to the " fruit sugar is" the first sentence - and that is simply not true. Fresh fruit offers more than natural sugar, it contains - including water , vitamins , minerals, fiber and phytonutrients ( which all goes beneficial effects of the body's natural plant compounds ) . Where else can you get a package like this for about 75 calories per serving ?

The idea that fruit is "responsible for carbohydrates " or is "full of sugar " should be put into perspective , too. It is true that when you eat the fruit, the vast majority of the calories you consume are provided by carbohydrates - mainly in the form of fructose , which is the natural fruit sugar .

But nature is not only fruit, but also of all plant foods - are mostly carbohydrates ( and that means not only natural sugars , but healthy as well as starches structural elements , such as cellulose , which provide fibers) . When you eat vegetables , most of the calories you eat come from carbohydrates , too. But you have not heard people complain that vegetables are " loaded with carbohydrates. "

Before rejecting foods that contain lots of sugar , or too rich in carbohydrates, taking into account not only the amount of sugar or carbohydrates you eat , but how carbohydrates, too. There is a big difference between the nutritional value of natural carbohydrates found in fruits and other plant foods - sugars , starches and fiber - and what is (or , more precisely , that is not ) in all the calories empty we eat added sugars find their way into everything from barbecue sauce brownies .

Faced with a serving of fruit , the amount of sugar we are talking about ? A medium orange has only about 12 grams of natural sugar ( about 3 tablespoons ) and a cup of strawberries has only about 7 grams - that's less than two teaspoons . And anyway , you also get 3 grams of fiber , or about the equivalent of a full day of vitamin C , antioxidants and low acid and potassium for healthy folic start - and it only costs about 50 or 60 calories . " All sugar "? I think not.

In contrast, a 20-ounce cola will cost you around 225 calories and , needless to say , does not provide antioxidants , vitamins , minerals or fiber. You just blew a little soda water , maybe a little color and artificial flavor, and in the neighborhood of 60 grams of sugar somewhere - around one third of a cup .

That's what I call " full of sugar " .